a. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to introducers used to place catheters and other medical devices at specific locations within the human body. In particular, the present disclosure relates to introducers having a steerable distal tip section.
b. Background
Catheters are used for an ever-growing number of medical procedures. For example, catheters are used for a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Typically, a physician manipulates a catheter through a patient's vasculature and to an intended site, such as a site within the patient's heart.
In order to facilitate placement of the catheter at the intended site, it may be introduced through another catheter, commonly known as an “introducer catheter,” “introducer,” “guide catheter,” or “sheath,” and these terms may be used interchangeably herein. A modern introducer typically has a high degree of directional control and can therefore be used to place other catheters, which may have little or no directional control, at specific anatomic sites.
Modern introducers are commonly configured with steering or pull wires (also known as puller wires) to control the movement and relative curvature of the device, especially at the distal end. Pull wires typically extend along the length of the introducer from an anchor point (e.g., a pull ring) at or near the distal end of the introducer to a control mechanism at the proximal end of the introducer, such as, for example, a rotatable knob, a plunger, a slider, or a pivot mechanism. Pull wires are used to “pull” on one side or the other side of the introducer to control deflection at the distal end, for example.
The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate the present field and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.